by M. K. ROZE
“No,” he shouted.
I looked at him, and he blacked out. I couldn’t think of
anything else to do except take him back to the cabin. Maybe
he had medicine there. I turned on my cell phone’s GPS and
sped up. I got lost briefly but managed to figure it out.
I looked over at him, and he was still passed out.
“Constin, hold on while I get your father.”
When I got out of the car, Sorin came out of nowhere,
opened the door, and took Constin out.
I ran to the passenger’s side. “Help him, please.”
Sorin looked all around him. “Go inside the house,” he
ordered.
“Why?”
“Just go!”
I got my bag out of the car and sprinted to the house. I
stood at the door, waiting on Sorin. Is someone after Constin? Is
he a drug dealer or something?
I didn’t know what was going on. I snapped out of it
and watched Sorin as he carried Constin’s lifeless body up
the steps without struggling. He hurried past me, brought
Constin into his bedroom, and kicked the door shut.
I sat on the couch near his room, still wondering if he
was okay, and why I was needed there.
After some time, Sorin came out and sat next to me. “I
apologize for yelling at you.” He handed me a tissue off the
coffee table in front of us.
“Thank you. Is Constin all right?”
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“Yes, he’s resting.”
I bit my bottom lip, debating on asking him to take me
home.
He looked over at me. “As I was getting my son out of
the car, I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Were you
drinking too?”
I gulped. “Yes, but not a lot.”
“You must stay here tonight. I don’t allow people to
drink and drive. Even if you’d taken only one sip, you should
never get behind the wheel of a car. Is that understood?”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
He got up and held out his hand for mine.
I took it and got up. “Your hand is freezing.” I rubbed
my hand on my jeans, trying to warm it up.
His eyes widened. “My apologies. I had to cool Constin
down.”
“Oh, sorry. I forgot.”
“I understand,” he replied.
“Where would you like me to sleep?”
“You can stay in Constin’s room.”
“Thank you. Can I say goodnight to Constin?”
“No, I’m sorry. He must rest.”
“Okay. Goodnight.” I started to walk away.
“Viata.”
I spun around.
“We’ll be leaving for a job in the morning. Please stay
here until we return tomorrow evening.”
“I would love to, but I have school.”
“Constin doesn’t want you to go tomorrow. Please
respect his wish.” He walked into his room, and he shut the
door.
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⁓
As I went slowly up the stairs, I wondered why Constin
wanted me to skip school.
In his room, I tossed myself on his bed. About to pass
out from the silence that filled the house, I took two pills out
of my purse and swallowed them without any water. As I fell
asleep, growling and hissing started again. I cuddled with his
ocean breeze and sandalwood scented pillow, thinking about
him and Bain, then passed out cold.
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⁓
hen I woke up, it was already after 2:00 p.m. I
couldn’t believe I’d slept that long. I got out of
bed and went downstairs. There was no food
in the refrigerator or the cabinets, so I texted Constin, asking
him if I could take his dad’s car to get food. When he didn’t
answer, I decided to take the car, hoping his father wouldn’t
get mad.
After I had breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, I decided to go
home for a while. When I arrived, I cleaned the house, took
a shower, and Mom kept calling me. I was sure about missing
school.
I heated leftover meatloaf that Liam’s mom cooked and
watched TV. Constin called soon after that.
“Hi, how are you?” I asked.
“Better now that I’m talking to you. Why did you
leave?”
“I was hungry.”
“Our apologies. We eat out a lot.”
“It’s okay. Your father’s not mad at me, is he?”
“Just a little. We wanted you to stay here until we got
back.”
“Why? Are there people after you?”
He sighed. “No, I just want you close to me.”
“You’re sweet. How are you feeling?”
“I’m much better now. Please forgive me for last night.”
“You’re fine. Did you go to the doctor?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I went to one at lunch.”
“You could’ve called me.”
“I forgot my phone this morning. I’m sorry.”
“Oh. So, do you need to carry a cooler of ice around
with you from now on?” I giggled.
“You’re hilarious. I would like you to return to my
house,” he said.
“Okay, what time?”
“Come now. And drive that car how it’s supposed to be
driven.”
I laughed. “Alright, be there shortly.”
“See you soon.” He ended the call.
I dashed into my room and changed into a cute romper.
I slid my wedges on and doused my outfit with my favorite
perfume. I closed the door to glance in the mirror and smiled
as I twirled around.
When I opened the front door, Liam walked into me.
“What the hell is she doing here?” I eyed Maria up and
down.
Maria didn’t take her eyes off me.
“Whoa, chill out,” Liam said.
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I walked past them. “I’m going to Constin’s house.
Have fun with that nosy liar.”
“Where’s your car?” Liam yelled out.
I flipped him the bird and got into Sorin’s car. Maria
smirked at me. I shot her a nasty look and drove off. On the
way, I took a few deep breaths and called Liam.
He answered right away. “Why were you so rude to
Maria?”
“Rude? You know that I hate her. Why would you even
have her in our house?”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, but Maria and I have been seeing
each other for a while now. I know how much you hate her,
so I have her come over when you’re not around.”
“Please tell me that she’s not the one you had in my
bed.”
“Sorry.”
“Seriously?” I screeched.
I ended the call, stepped on the gas, and continued to
Constin’s house. When I arrived at the cabin, Constin was
waiting for me outside. I took a few deep breaths and rolled
down the window.
“Hey, handsome, you look a lot better now.”
He grinned. “For now, at least. Did you get lost again?”
“How do you know I got lost? You were passed out
when I brought you here last night.”
“Just guessing. Come, I want you to meet someone
special.” He opened the car door for me.
“Who?” I asked as he helped me out.
He ignored me. “You look and smell delicious,” he said,
followed by a wink.
“Ah, that’s a new one. Are you going to eat me now?”
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⁓
He took my hand. “Maybe.”
We walked inside. “Father,” Constin called out.
Sorin came out of the dining room with another man
following behind him, who was wearing a black suit. The
older man resembled Sorin, except he was taller and looked
like he worked out a lot. His long narrow mustache tapered
and drooped down to his chin, curling at the ends.
“Good evening, Viata,” Sorin said as he walked toward
me. He kissed my hand as he’d done in the past.
“Hello, how are you?” I replied in a shaky voice.
Sorin nodded. “I’m well. Thank you.”
“Viata,” Constin said, “this is my grandfather, Dragos.”
Dragos’s dark brown eyes gazed into mine, almost like
he’d seen me before.
“Hello, sir, it’s very nice to meet you. You and your son
have unique names. Does yours mean anything?”
“Dragon,” he said in a much deeper voice than both
Sorin and Constin.
“You and your son look alike,” I replied.
“Well, thank you, my dear. I delightfully accept your
sweet words.”
Sorin grinned. “Please come join us for some delicious
wine.”
I followed them into the dining room. It was an eerie
feeling. They had tall candelabras lit up that sat in the corners
of the room. Constin pulled out a chair for me.
“Thank you.” I looked at the glass of red wine that was
in front of me.
“You’re welcome.” Constin sat to my left.
Sorin and Dragos sat at the ends of the long wooden
table like they were kings.
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“Viata, please taste the wine,” Sorin said. “It is ancient,
but it is as sweet as you.”
I didn’t want to drink again, but I didn’t want to be
impolite, so I took a few sips. It tasted like the wine Constin
and I had on the yacht. Dragos was staring at me from across
the table as I took each sip. I tried to act like a lady, but I
wanted to gulp it down quickly because I was so nervous.
However, I didn’t dare.
After a few more sips, I felt more relaxed. “Do you have
any plans for tomorrow or the rest of your stay?” I asked
Dragos. “I can take you around if you would like when I get
out of school.”
“No, that’s quite alright,” Dragos replied, “but I thank
you for being so kind. We’re going to relax here and talk
about the exciting events that are coming up.”
Sorin cleared his throat.
“Events?”
“It’s nothing,” Dragos said as he swirled his wine glass
between his thumb and his long index finger. “So, I’ve heard
that you’ve been to Romania. How did you like it?”
“It was amazing! Have you ever been there before?”
“No,” Dragos replied. “But I’ve heard many pleasant
things about it.”
I looked at Constin, and he placed his hand on my lap
under the table.
“Were there any specific sights that interested you more
than others?” Dragos asked me and took a sip of his wine.
“Yes,” I said as Constin rubbed my inner thigh. I
removed his hand. “At first, it was the Black Church, but
when I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about Bran Castle.
I guess it was—”
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⁓
Dragos’s brown eyes widened, and he leaned forward
with his long black hair resting on the table. I gnawed at my
bottom lip and looked over at Constin and Sorin.
“Please, carry on.” Sorin encouraged. “We would love
to hear the rest.”
I held Sorin’s gaze. “Okay, but please don’t think I’m
weird. An unseen force whispered ‘ remember’ in my ear when
I was looking at Vlad the Impaler’s picture.”
Sorin looked at Constin, and a loud thump came from
the roof.
I looked up. “That’s the same sound I’ve heard at my
house.”
“I despise those filthy animals,” Dragos said.
“I heard them last night after I fell asleep here too.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get rid of them soon,” Sorin said.
“When you do, tell me how you did it so I can tell animal
control. They only catch cats and raccoons.”
Sorin nodded.
Constin faced the window.
“Son,” Dragos said, “will you please show me the guest
room? I’m a bit fatigued. I need to rest.”
Sorin got up. “Yes, Father.”
Dragos came over to me and kissed my hand. “Please
forgive me for cutting the night short. I’ve been up for many
hours.”
“I understand. It was nice meeting you.”
Sorin and Dragos walked away, leaving Constin and me
alone.
“That was awkward,” I said.
“Why is that?” Constin sipped his wine.
“Um, probably because I just told them that I heard a
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ghost whisper in my ear.”
“Divinity, you’re fine. They won’t judge you. They’ve
heard much creepier stories than that.”
My body froze. “What did you just say?”
“What?”
“You just called me Divinity.”
“I’m sorry. I was thinking about what you told me on
the yacht. Come on. Let’s go and sit outside.”
“You scared me there for a minute.”
“Sorry.” He helped me up, and we walked onto the
porch.
“Don’t be offended when I say this, but you don’t look
like your dad or grandfather.”
“I’m not insulted. I look more like my mother.”
“Where is she?”
“My mother died when I was young,” he said in a low
voice.
“I’m so sorry, Constin. I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay. Come with me. I want to show you
something.”
“What?’’
He guided me through the woods behind the cabin.
“What could possibly be out here? It’s nothing but tall
itchy grass.”
“You’ll see,” he said and continued.
“How can you see where you’re walking? It’s pitch
black.”
“I have excellent night vision,” he joked.
I giggled.
Growling came from behind us, followed by something
smashing into the ground. I stopped and hid behind Constin.
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⁓
“What was that?”
“It’s animals fighting again. We’re fine.” He looked in
that direction.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to die the way Kaylee did.”
“Viata, I’m not going to let you die unless you want to.”
I stared blankly at him. “That was sweet but way too
morbid for me. And I don’t want to die anytime soon. Let’s
go.”
“I was kidding. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Prove
it.”
I pulled him further into the woods until he stopped me
and went to the right. An old building that looked to be at
least three hundred years old was sitting in an open field
surrounded by trees.
“Wow! What’s in there?” I asked.
“Patience.”
I rolled my eyes.
Inside, I covered my nose with my free hand from the
musty smell. There was no light except the moonlight
coming from the cracks in the ceiling. We walked down the
never-ending hall. Unlit sconces and spider webs lined the
cracked, stone walls.
“This place is creepy ... but beautiful.”
“It sure is.”
He continued down the hall that led to a dark room.
“Stand here,” he instructed and let go of my hand.
“Constin.” I felt around for him.
He set light to a series of torches, and the room came to
life.
“Is this a ballroom?”
“Yes, it’s been here for over four hundred years.”
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⁓
“This is amazing!”
I looked at a painting on the ceiling with men dressed in
armor fighting one another. I walked to the center of the
room to get a closer look at the huge diamond chandelier
that was sparkling from the torches.
“This is gorgeous.” I twirled around and looked down
at the white marble floor.
“It was … at one time.” He lowered his head.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“I swear I’ve been here before.”
I touched the old goblets that sat on a wooden table and
brushed the spiderwebs off on my romper. Constin walked
over to me and placed his arms around my waist.
“What makes you think you’ve been here before?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe I saw it in a movie or something.
Or while I was in Romania.”
“Would you want to live here forever?”
“Live here?” I replied. “How could that even be
possible? And even if it were, it would need a lot of work
done before I ever thought of moving in.”
“Anything is achievable if you want it badly enough,” he
said.
“True.”
He pulled out his iPhone, and music I’d never heard
started playing. The room made it louder than normal. He
placed it down on the table next to us. “Dance with me?” he